Re: RE: Fw:"Artificial racing"?

["superpat" <superpat@gateway.net>]

To Maria Wallis:
I think Steph did a magnificent job of addressing your questions. Just
wanted to add my penny's worth.

"A second concern we have, as breeders of Arabians:  If horses continue to
be
supplemented and raced "artificially" (in our opinion, humble as it is),
will this evolve into a generation of horses that cannot compete and compete
well without the supplements, etc.?"

I did not excel in Biology 101 or any of the empirical sciences and am a
little intimidated by overly scientific discussions, but I am finding much
of the discussions extremely interesting and am saving to a separate file
information that I can study over when I have the extra time. If some of it
seems to be a little too esoteric, there is always the delete key. But
there's plenty there to chew on. Since I became involved in this sport a few
years ago, I have been on a constant quest for:
1)a better fitting saddle
2)more efficient training and conditioning methods
2)most sensible feeding program
3)the best combination of alfalfa/hay or hay only or the best type of hay
4)whether to use rice bran, beet pulp, probiotics, etc. etc. etc.
and on and on and I'm sure you get the picture. It's a never ending search
for ways to help my horse achieve his potential. I do not consider that the
things we do to try to help our horses are setting up "artificial
conditions". It only makes good sense to me to continue to educate ourselves
and find where and how we can enhance our horse's performance. This in no
way relieves me of the responsibility of putting in the hours and miles to
condition. It's not just the 50 miles on ride day that makes this sport.
It's the preparation (and that includes the training miles as well as
developing the optimal feeding program and tweaking it here and altering it
there). In other words, it's the journey, not merely the destination. Kind
of like when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. I could have hopped a plane
and gone from Mexico to Canada in a few hours. I would have missed the five
months of sweat, hardships, exhilaration, pride, etc. etc.
All this to say, do not become discouraged because you encounter evidence of
people who share a common passion engaging in discussion (albeit sometimes
heated) of how to best help their horses. I would think that  one would be
encouraged by the intellectual curiosity displayed and the willingness to
work hard at their sport. How terrible it would be if we all just hopped on
our horses and rode like h---l to get from point A to point B to prove how
fast or strong our horses are. That's activity from which I would distance
myself yesterday! So give it a try. I suspect you will love the sport. You
can take what you feel helps you and leave what seems like fluff. It's all
up to you.
Pat Super



----- Original Message -----
From: Steph Teeter <step@fsr.com>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Sunday, December 26, 1999 11:51 PM
Subject: RC: RE: Fw: Endurance


> Maria and Claudia,
>
> It sounds like you haven't done endurance yet. It
> isn't for everybody, but if it is for you - you will
> know it right away, and become totally hooked like
> the rest of us. Believe me - this sport is not
> about winning, money, glory - there are much easier
> sports out there for those that are just interested
> in that. For 99% of us the horse, and the trail, are
> what it is all about. Even if we set our sights on
> winning it is still about the horse and the trail.
> Otherwise, we would pick a different sport.
>
> And as far as supplementation and 'artificial' racing.
> I think that once you've done a few rides, you will
> realize that you just cannot fake this sport! The
> carbo charge is just another food source - really
> no different from feeding grain or another readily
> available energy source. It is not a magic potient
> and won't make a horse do anything it isn't capable
> of already. I've always felt bad for the horses
> having so little opportunity to eat - to fuel up
> during a ride. This is their opportunity to grab
> a snack. It is no more un-natural than dosing them
> with electrolytes and probiotics. Will it give
> a horse an edge over the competition?? Maybe
> a little... maybe a lot ...maybe not enough to
> worry about. I think Ti will have a lot more information
> on this a year from now. But - the chances are, that
> a metabolic 'edge' will make less difference in the long
> run then factors such as skill, strategy and
> determination of the rider, and the 'heart' and natural
> ability of the horse.
>
> All the talk of glucometers and gadgets- it's interesting,
> there is some good science and research going on -
> some in the name of 'improving performance' - some
> in the name of 'protecting our horses'. It pretty
> much boils down to the same science however
> you look at it. There is certainly romance in the
> sport - we all have those moments and those rides -
> and know that 'this is what it's all about'. But
> sooner or later we also have lameness to deal with,
> or have or see a horse that needs treatment for
> exhaustion or dehydration (and btw, it's not usually
> the front runners whose horses need treatment). And
> I believe we have a responsibility to understand
> the biology of the sport. Yes - it's about the
> horse and the trail, but we still have to understand
> and respect the needs of our horses in terms of
> fuel, water, electrolytes and conditioning.
>
> Of course there are plenty out there that excel on just
> a good diet and common sense conditioning.
> And there are probably great horses that have
> excelled on poor diets and haphazard conditioning
> - just because they are truly great horses, superior
> atheletes. And there are probably great horses out
> there that never got a chance because their riders
> didn't really understand the principles of conditioning
> and over/under did it.
>
> Most of us that are blathering away about science
> and carbos and gadgets are driven by curiosity -
> and enough science in our backgrounds to be dangerous.
> (no offense to the DVM's and real scientists out there :)
> And a willingness or interest to try something
> new, just because it makes sense. It's not a substitute
> for the horse and the trail, just another facet.
>
> Well, that was a little long and preachy. Just go do
> a ride - you'll know right away what it's all about.
>
> Steph (momentarily grouchy to be missing the Death Valley
> Encounter this year....)
>
> ----------------------
>
>  Dear ridecamp members----we have/had been very interested in becoming
> involved in endurance riding, thinking that it was a competition primarily
> against the trail, and "all" it required was common sense
> conditioning (lots of long hours and wet saddle blankets) of horse and
rider
> and common sense riding (knowing and understanding your horse and
yourself).
> But from what we are reading on ridecamp, it requires state-of-the-art
> equipment and monitoring and supplements out the kazoo.   We are fast
> losing interest in this so-called sport and feel like the motto SHOULD be
> changed to "To Win is to Win" (else why the emphasis on getting more out
of
> the horse).   Or---are there indeed riders out there who compete and
compete
> well without all this "stuff" we have been reading about???
>
> A second concern we have, as breeders of Arabians:  If horses continue to
be
> supplemented and raced "artificially" (in our opinion, humble as it is),
> will this evolve into a generation of horses that cannot compete and
compete
> well without the supplements, etc.?
>
>  Maria Wallis
> My Golden Farm
>  and
> Claudia Provin
> Provin's Promises
> Breeders of CMK Arabian Horses
>
>
>
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
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